FAREWELL TO HAWAII
Jeems Howell was the only one of the hardy Frontier group who was
unable to be present at breakfast that fine morning.
"How are you feeling, Jeems," inquired Jo, looking in upon the
sufferer a little later. "Don't you think that you could eat a little
something if you were propped up with pillows?"
"No, no, lad," said Jeems sadly. "I feel that I ain't long for this
world."
"I don't know what you call it then," remarked the incorrigible Jo,
"you are six feet four and that seems to me to be pretty long for this
world or any other."
Jeems laughed so heartily at this that he too began forthwith to
recuperate. Then he got out on the land side of the deck and, though
the sun was of a sufficient warmth to satisfy the most exacting, he
kept a heavy shawl wrapped around his shoulders.
"Durned old woman," growled the captain when he caught sight of the
figure seated between the cabin and the rail. "He ought to be for'ard
scrubbing deck."
However, Skipper Jim was more lenient, and only laughed at the
captain's severity, for he knew that the old fellow's bark was much
worse than his bite. In fact, no work was being done aboard ship that
morning, for all hands were given a chance for a long last look at
Hawaii. Never again were they to behold a more beautiful scene than
the panorama that traveled steadily along with the _Sea Eagle_ that
morning.
The soft radiance flooded the deeply azure sea, and the tropic island
of vivid and varied green. The four boys stood leaning lazily on the
ship's rail, gazing in silence at the view that was passing before
them. Their sombreros shaded their eyes, but the glare from the water
shone upon their faces of healthy bronze, and they did not seem to
mind it in the least. The old captain sat upon the bridge in his old
armchair, with his old comrade, the tortoise-shell cat, dozing and
blinking at his feet, a true picture of furry felicity.
So the crew of the _Sea Eagle_ passed in review this coast of Hawaii,
with black precipices, that rose in a continuous line of palisades
from out the sea, with no white beach shelving down. The great green
surges, with the force of the Pacific behind them, rolled against
the perpendicular walls, the dark surfaces of which were veined at
frequent intervals by the silvery lines of the waterfalls, or graced
by the vines which fell in straight lines, or were looped in varied
shapes.
Beyond these cliffs there rose the splendid slopes, with here and
there groves of royal palms and slender cocoa trees, fit temples for
the gods of ancient Hawaii who were supposed to dwell in streams and
groves and mountains. Still higher up the mountain side grew the
forests of creamy koa, inlaid among the dark-leaved kukui.
At times the skirts of the clouds, heavy with moisture, dragged along
the lower slopes, and a soft gloom would diffuse itself over the
landscape. Then the sun would roll the mists aside for the moment, and
the light would fall upon tropical vales, hills and mountain slopes,
with all the vividness of the early spring and yet with the full, rich
splendor of summer.
No wonder the Frontier Boys were silent as they gazed upon this scene
of varied and unusual beauty, so different from the wild and barren
grandeur of the mountain ranges in their own country, and the arid
deserts they had traveled over.
"I'd hate to fall overboard here," exclaimed Tom, "it looks all-fired
deep."
"The captain says that along these island coasts," remarked Juarez,
"is some of the deepest seas in the world."
"Say, Jeems," cried Juarez to the invalid, "wade out here and see how
deep it is."
"If you really want to know I'll tell you," responded Jeems, the
philosopher. "Off this coast it's between five and seven thousand
feet."
"Whew!" whistled Jim, "over a mile, how is that for down?"
"It makes me shiver to think of it," exclaimed Tom.
"Hello, boys!" cried Jeems, "there is a big fire over on the other
side of the Island."
"I should say!" commented Jim earnestly. "Look at that smoke rolling
up."
"It must be a forest fire," put in Jo. "Reminds me of our Colorado
experiences."
"I tell you what, boys, let's make a landing and take a look at it,"
cried Juarez. "There's a fine harbor ahead of us!"
Old Captain Kerns was taking a deep interest in the conversation, as
was evident, as he looked down from the quarter deck at the boys.
"What's that you lads were saying, about a big fire somewheres?" he
inquired. "I hope it hain't aboard ship."
"No, no, Captain," replied Jim reassuringly, "we meant that big smoke
over on the other side of the island. Juarez wants to make a landing,
so as we can see it to better advantage. We don't want to miss any
excitement."
"You lads are always so eager," replied the captain. "Why don't you
wait until you get back here sometime?"
"It will be burned out long before we get back," said Jo.
"Well," said the captain slowly, "that smoke has been there for nigh
onto a thousand years, and is liable to be there for some time yet.
That's the volcano of Kiluaea."
How the captain roared then; for an instant the boys were dumfounded,
then they gave themselves up to hilarious mirth.
"That's certainly one on us boys," cried Jim. "We can't tell a volcano
when we see it. We ought to have stayed on the old farm and dug
potatoes."
After the ship had turned northward from the coast of Hawaii the boys
set to work about their usual tasks aboard ship. Jim took the wheel;
Juarez went below to work with the engineer, with whom he was quite
chummy; Jeems and Jo scrubbed decks, while Tom was busy in the galley
preparing the dinner. All the boys were pretty fair cooks, but Tom's
cooking probably had more style to it, though he was not quite a
French chef.
The old captain had turned into his cabin on the quarter deck to take
a good nap in his bunk, while the cat, whom he named Ulysses, both on
account of his wisdom and because he had been a great traveler, was
curled up in the chair beside him. So the day went quickly and
cheerfully by,--the first day at sea.
In the late afternoon all hands were on deck to take their last
look at Hawaii, that was fast becoming a mythical island on the
enchanted border of the horizon. The bulk of the Island of Hawaii
was encompassed with an atmosphere of wonderful blue, rising from
out the dusk, which shrouded the distant sea, and its two great
volcanic cones, that rose to the glow of the sunset, were touched
with a delicate pink.
"We have had a fine time down there in Hawaii, boys," said Jim, "but
I'm glad we are headed for home."
"I suppose you will try to locate that lost mine in the Sierras?" said
Tom, "that Jeems spoke about the other day."
"If there is anything lost we are the ones to locate it," said Jo.
"There is no doubt about that."
"We must get Jeems to tell us more about it," said Jim. "Perhaps we
can get him to tune up this evening after supper."
"Time to put up the lights, Captain?" inquired Juarez.
"Yes, Juarez," replied Jim. "You may attend to it."
"I don't see what's the use," remarked Tom. "We won't probably see a
ship until we get near the coast of California."
"Don't make any difference," replied Jim. "That's the law of the sea
and you can't ever tell what you will run against."
Juarez did not wait to hear the discussion, but went after the red and
the green lanterns. He placed the red on the starboard side for'ard in
a wooden bracket well up, and the green was placed on the port side,
or the left, and they shone through the bronze dusk that obscured the
rolling sea, like separate jewels, the emerald and the ruby.
It was a happy group that gathered around the supper table in the
cabin that evening, for the boys were homeward bound. The windows
of the skylight were wide open, because it was a typical tropical
night--warm and balmy--and the great lamp that swung over the table
with its brass reflector served to make it warmer still.
"Tell us something more about that lost mine you were telling about
the other day, Jeems," piped up Tom.
"Don't tell Tom first," warned Jim, "because if you do, he will have
all the shares sold before we arrive." There was a general laugh at
this because Tom was strictly business when it came to money.
"Wait till we get on deck, then I'll spout," said Jeems.